Company car drivers focus on increasing fuel economy

Posted on

Jan 30, 2015

Company car drivers are becoming more and more likely to drive slower, to turn off the air con or to avoid heavily accelerating in a bid to try and cut down their fuel bill, according to new research by RAC Business.
The survey, conducted as part of the RAC's Report on Motoring, found that an overall 40 per cent of company car drivers were accurately changing their driving behaviour in order to help improve their fuel economy.æ This figure is impressive, given that only 27 per cent of private vehicle owners take the same approach.
Overall, two-thirds of company car drivers said that they monitored the fuel consumption of their vehicle, compared to less than half (44 per cent) of private vehicle owners.
David Aldridge, RAC Business Services director, said:
'Fuel prices have dropped significantly over the past few months, but filling up the tank can still represent a huge chunk of a business's expenditure.
'Adopting a fuel-efficient driving style could add up to savings of thousands of pounds every year across a fleet of vehicles while also contributing to a reduction in emissions.
'It's encouraging to see company car drivers are being proactive about fuel efficiency, especially when they're unlikely to be personally liable for the cost and you might think would care less because it's not their own personal vehicle.î
Last month HMRC cut the company fuel allowances across six categories to as low as 11p per mile for diesel and 13p per mile for petrol.
The RAC research also highlighted how company car drivers are able to achieve better fuel efficiency as a result of the available current in-car technology that's available.
'Technology can help drivers keep track of their fuel efficiency and vehicles themselves are becoming more sophisticated at self-monitoring,î added Aldridge.
'The increasing use of telematics could also be altering driver behaviour.
'When your speed and journeys are being monitored by your company, inevitably this will have a knock-on effect on how efficiently you drive.
'At the RAC, we saw huge savings in our company fuel bill when telematics was rolled out across our fleet.î